Menopausal Years - the Wise Woman Way

SLEEP DISTURBANCES

Sleep disturbances are short-lived, but recurring, part or menopausal change. Most menopausal women are so exhausted they can fall asleep with their cloths on, but wake after a few hours. A few menopausal women wake so frequently, for so many nights, that they acquire the dazed look of a new mother of twins. Some catch u with a nap later. Other stay tense all night and are achy and irritated all day.

Keep a journal by your bed - Creative juices flow wildly during menopause; if you’re up when they are, grab’em.

Lavender blossoms – and their essential oil are crone classics. The strong but agreeable odor brings sleep at night, relieves dizziness and faintness during the day. Sloop with a little pillow of lavender blossoms, or use a few drops of the essential oil on a handkerchief tucked into your pillow. A lavender bath before bed (handful of dried flowers or a few drops of oil) eases the mind and body, and evokes soothing dreams.

Oatstraw infusion – strengthens your nervous system, smooth your energy flow, and give you more restful sleep. Oatstraw is renowned for her antidepressant effect. It eases nigh sweats, anxiety, and headaches. You can’t overdose on bone-strengthening, gland-nourishing oatstraw. Drink freely.

Hops tea – powerful sloop inducer and wonderful hormonal ally to the woman awakened frequently by night sweats. Keep a cup on the nightstand to slip you back to sleep. A small pillow of dried hops blossoms under your head also helps entice sleep into your bed.

Nettle - astonishing nourisher of the energy circuits and the adrenals, isn’t usually considered a sleep inducer. But it might be if your adrenals are waking you up. They work hard during your menopausal years and can become over-reactive. If a small noise triggers an adrenal rush, you awaken, heart pounding, anxious. Then you have to urinate --- s sure sign of an adrenaline-mediated flash.

St. Joan’s wort (nerve nourishing) - tincture is also a gentle beckoner of sleep. Use a dropperful in a cup of fresh hops or lemon balm tea for a double dose of slumber.

Skull cap (delicious, aromatic tincture) – my favorite painkiller and sleep-inducer when made from the fresh flowering plant. (Dried plant tinctures are less effective.) Though powerful, skullcap rarely leaves a muggy feeling next morning. Long-term use is not addictive, but rarely needed.

Passionflower herb – an old wive’s remedy for women with nervous insomnia, hysteria, restlessness, and headaches. With its unique, purple-crowned flowers, it visually says “crone”. A dose of 15-60 drops of the fresh flowering plant tincture before bed each evening can relieve ongoing sleeplessness. (Passion fruits are a rich source of estrogenic bioflavonoids.)

Coffee, black tea, or alcohol contribute to night sweats and unrestful, agitated sleep. For some menopausal women, these stimulants prevent sleep altogether and trigger intense hot flashes.